Exhibiting device



A. AMES, JR. EXHIBITING DEVICE. APPLICATxoN FILED ocr4 3, 1919.

'PATENT orties.

annmsnnfr aivins, :rn..,.or rr'iwnsisuiw, MASSACHUSETTS.

EXHTBITING DEVTCE.

T0 all whom t may concern i j Be it known that I, Aniiniin'r iLMiis, J r., citizen of the United States, and resident of Tewksbury in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, lhave invented new and useful Improvements in Exhibiting Devices, of which the followingis a specification. j

This invention relates to exhibiting de vices and more particularly to an exhibiting device for use as a window display or in connection with signs, billboards or thellike. ln` suoli devices it is highly desirable to secure the appearance of motion or of illumination to attract the attention of .the'passerby. `With large devices, however, the provision of moving parts not feasible becfause of the expense and complexity,- ont power mechanism for operating the movable members and artificial illumination is a source of large cost and upkeep..

The principal objects of thefpresentinvention are to obviate the difficult-ies above enumerated and to provide an exhibiting device which produces the effect of motion but has no movable parts to get out of order, which gives the effect of illumination but requires no artificial illuminants and which is simple in construction. n

I will now describe my invention in connection with one specific embodiment of the genus of lmyinvention. In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l illustrates an exhibitino' device having a figured surface representing a human face and provided with fixed illusion producing members constructed in accordance with my invention; n j

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. l; and f Fig. 3 is a perspective vview of a curved member which simulates an eyelid.

Referring particularly to` Fig. l of the drawing, T have illustrated a figured surface 1 representing a human face. This surface may be depicted upon any suitable yrigid backing such vas sheet metal or wooden boarding 2 customarily employed in the construction of signs, billboards or the like. Openings 3 are provided through they backing 2 in positions corresponding to the eye sockets, having outlines similar to eyehopenings. Suitably attached to the rear side of the backing 2 as by brackets t directly back of the openings 3 and spaced a substantial distance therefrom, is a member 5 of any Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29,1922.

suitable translucent material such as ground glass..v Secured to the front surfaceof this member and disposed directly back of the centerV of the openings 3 are members 6 suit- 'ably formed` and painted to represent eyepupils. These members may be secured to the. member inlany suitable manner as by bolts 7. Instead of att-aching separate pupil members 6 to the translucent member 5 the pupils may be painted or otherwise depicted directly upon the member 6.

Secured by screws or bolts 8'to the figured side of the backing 2 adjacent the end of an eye: opening 3 so as to project outwardly is acurved member 9 (shown in det-ail in Fig. 3) of sheet metal or other suitable ma- .terial the surface of which is painted or otherwise formed to represent an eye-lid.

In practice myimproved exhibiting device is adapted to be disposed insuch position as tobe yreadily observed by persons passing on foot 'or in vehicles, as for ,examplek adjacent to heavily traveled highways or the rights of way kof railroads or railways. As the observer approaches the device from one side thereof, the eye-pupilsbecause of the spaced j relation between the figured surface and said eye-pupils, will appear Ato be turned into the corners of the eye openings nearest the observer. As the observer further approaches to a position directly in front of the device,v the pupils appear to follow his movements and from the latter position appear to be directly in the center of the eye openings. Further movement of the observer past the device brings the observer into a ,position in which the pupils: appear to have moved into the opposite corners of the eye openings or to have turned toward the observer. Thusduring themovement of the observer past the device, the observer is given a` very realistic impression that the eyesfof the figure have followed him.

This illusion of apparent movement may also be produced with respect to one or both Aof the eyelids of the ligure through members such as 9 hereinb'efore described. For examplo, assuming that an observer is passing the device from leftto right as viewed in Fig. '1, ywhenhe first approaches the device, the lid member 9v does'not appear between the observer andtlie eye opening 3 but blends with the surface of the figure, and the eyes of the figure appear to be wide open. As the observer movespast the device the lid member 9 cuts ofi' an increasing amount of the Ob- A servers view of the right hand eye opening until, when he has passed tothe right of the device the member 9 cuts oif his View of the eye opening entirely. The member 9 thus appears to close the eye in simulation of winking.

A similar member 9 could, within the conn templation of this invention, be applied to the other eye opening. Then thus applied with its pointed end l0 toward the left, the illusion of closing both eyes at the same time would be effected, whereas if the members 9 were so positioned as to have their points l0 both turned toward the bridge of the nose, an illusion of opening the left eye and closing the right eye would be produced for an observer passing the device from left to right.

The effect of illumination is secured by the use of translucent material behind the sign opening. This permits natural light to pass through the opening and if the device be so mounted as to permit light to pass through when the roadway is most frequented startling effects are possible through the openings. In the device illustrated the effect is heightened by the opaque pupilsv which obstruct part of the light. Furthermore, the fact that the device is not at all times illuminated increases its effectiveness on account of its variable appearance.

Vhile I haveillustrated my invention specilically in connection with a figure representing a human face it is to be understood as generic in its character and applicable to the production of apparent motion between fixed members of any desired configuration.

I claim l. An exhibiting device comprising an opaque pictorial surface having an opening therein for the transmission of light therethrough, and a iixed opaque element, constituting an apparent continuation of said pictorial surface and having a superficial area less than that of the opening arranged behind and spaced substantially from the plane of said surface to co-act' with said opening whereby to obstruct the passage of a portion of the light normally transmitted therethrough. y

2. An exhibiting device comprising an opaque pictorial surface having an opening of relatively small area therein, and an opaque member constituting an apparent element of said pictorial surface, said member being of a width less than that of the opening and being iixedly supported in spaced relation to the said surface and at a substantial distance to the rear thereof whereby to obstruct a portion of the light transmitted through said opening.

3. An exhibiting device comprising an opaque, pictorial surface having an opening therethrough, a translucent member fixedly 'disposed to lie in a plane behind and subelement being interposed between the plane of said opening and said translucent member.

4. An exhibiting device comprising a pictorial surface having an opening therein, a translucent member riixcdly disposed in a plane to the rear of said surface,` and substantially spaced therefrom, and an o aque element iixedly secured to said trans ucent member, said opaque element constituting an apparent continuation of'said' pictorial surface, and being' of a superficial area less than that of the opening. v

5. An exhibiting device comprising a surface having thereon the pictorial representation of a face and provided with openings at the location of the eyes, and fixed, opaque elements formed to represent the eyes of said face and disposed behind the respective openings and in plane substantially spaced from that of the vopenings whereby to simulate movement of said elements with respect to said face upon relative movement between the device and an observer.`

6. An exhibiting device comprising a surface having thereon a' pictorial representation of a face and having eye openingstherein, and affixed translucent member disposed in a plane substantially to they rear of said surface Lhaving fixed thereon opaque representations yof eye-pupils, the said kpupils being so disposed upon said member as to appear in ali'nement with the center of'said openings when observed from a point directly in front of said face and to appear to move toward the corners of said eye openings upon relative movement of said device and observer to either side of the central position.

7. An exhibiting device comprising a suri face having thereon a pictorial representation of a human face and havingeye openings therein, means secured to the rear of said surface having thereon representations of eye pupils, and a member secured in front of one of said openings and formed to simulate an eyelid,said means and member being so disposed relatively to said eye openings as to appear to move with respect thereto upon relative movement between said ob server and said device.

8. An exhibiting device comprising a surface having thereon a pictorial representation of a human face, and a member outstanding from said surfacein the region of one of the eyes of said face and formed to simulate an eyelid, the said member being so disposed as to appear to cover the eye upon relative movement between the device and an observer.

9. ein exhibiting device comprising a surface having thereon a pictorial representation of a human 'face and a curved member outstanding from said surface in the region of one of the eyes of said face and formed to represent an eye-lid, the said member being so disposed as to simulate movement of the eye-lid with respect to the` eye upon relative movement between the device and an observer.

l0. An exhibiting device comprising a pictorial surface having an opening therein and a relatively opaque member constituting an limportant feature of the design of said surface and an apparent continuation of the latter, said member being fixedly disposed substantially in alinement with said opening but in a plane substantially spaced from the plane of said surface said member being smaller than said opening so that a portion only of the light transmitted through said opening is obstructed.

Signed by me at Hanover, New Hampshire7 this 24th day of September, 1919.

ADELBERT AMES, JR. 

